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CHAPTER
Lighting
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Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
Describe the types of lighting in AutoCAD.
List the user-created lights available in AutoCAD.
Change the properties of lights.
Generate and modify shadows.
Add a background to your scene and control its appearance.
In the movie industry, it has often been said that “Lighting is everything.” That state-
ment also rings true when creating realistic scenes in AutoCAD. If lights are used incor-
rectly, the scene will be washed-out with light or too dark to see anything. In Chapter 15,
you were introduced to lighting. You learned how to adjust lighting by turning off the
default lights and adding sunlight. In this chapter, you will learn all about the lights avail-
able in AutoCAD. You will learn lighting tips and tricks to help make the scene look its best.
Types of Lights Types of Lights
Ambient light is like natural light just before sunrise. It is the same intensity
everywhere. All faces of the object receive the same amount of ambient light. Ambient
light cannot create highlights, nor can it be concentrated in one area. AutoCAD does
not have an ambient light setting. Instead, it relies on indirect illumination, which is
discussed in Chapter 18.
A point light is like a lightbulb. Light rays from a point light shine out in all direc-
tions. A point light can create highlights. The intensity of a point light falls off, or
weakens, over distance. Other programs, such as Autodesk 3ds Max®, may call these
lights omni lights. A target point light is the same as a standard point light except that a
target is specifi ed. The illumination of the target point light is directed toward the target.
A distant light is a directed light source with parallel light rays. This acts much like
the sun. Rays from a distant light strike all objects in your model on the same side and
with the same intensity. The direction and intensity of a distant light can be changed.
A spotlight is like a distant light, but it projects in a cone shape. Its light rays are
not parallel. A spotlight is placed closer to the object than a distant light. Spotlights
have a hotspot and a falloff. The light from a standard spotlight is directed toward a
target. A free spotlight is the same as a standard spotlight, but without a target.
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